


I Know Now

by writingonpostcards



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, group chats, matchmaking masquerading as a study group
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-11-05 10:46:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11011878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingonpostcards/pseuds/writingonpostcards
Summary: They study in Jack’s room, with Bitty’s phone plugged into the speaker and Spotify on in the background. Though to use the word study may be stretching the definition.A study-group is organised by several team members, the true purpose of which is to set up Jack and Bitty. Week after week, Jack and Bitty find themselves alone together at the study group. Their relationship grows.





	I Know Now

“Hey, Jack,” Bitty says brightly as he enters the living room with his textbook balanced under one arm, and his other holding a tray of freshly made brownie.

“Hey, Bittle,” Jack replies, already sitting on a chair with his books open on the coffee table.

Bitty puts his stuff down next to Jack’s, taking care with the tray of food. He lifts his arm to let the textbook thunk down on the ground.

“Where is everyone?” He asks Jack, sitting beside his fallen textbook.

“Shitty’s stuck talking to his thesis advisor. Lardo’s got a project due tomorrow. Chowder says he can’t make this week. No idea about Holster or Nursey,” Jack rattles off.

“So, just us then?”

“Just us,” Jack confirms.

It’s the second week in a row that has happened.

-

Bitty sits on a cushion on the floor by the coffee table, sipping occasionally from a mug of tea, and refreshing his twitter frequently. The others should be here for the study group by now. He reluctantly opens his textbook, figuring he should use the time to study even if no-one’s here to help him figure out the biology side of this week’s class.

He’s two pages in when the front door opens. Bitty looks up, eager for company.

“Jack! Hey.” Bitty smiles and waves at him.

“Sorry I’m late. Class went overtime.”

Jack sits down on the green couch, rolling his eyes when Bitty gives him a look. “Stop worrying about this thing.”

“Jack, it’s _infested_ ,” Bitty insists immediately.

“You don’t know that,” Jack replies.

“And you don’t _not_ know that.”

Jack just shakes his head and takes out his own textbook and exercise book. “Did you do the extra reading this week?” he asks Bitty.

Bitty senses the topic divergence, but goes along with Jack anyway. It’s not the first time they’ve argued over the couch, and it won’t be the last.

"I did not,” Bitty answers. “But I printed it out.”

“Not quite the same thing. I’ll summarise it for you.”

Bitty smiles at Jack gratefully. “Thank you.”

-

The fourth time it happens, Bitty makes Jack move into the kitchen.

“If it’s just us anyway, we can sit around the smaller table. Better for your back.”

“Firstly, I’m offended you said ‘your’ and not ‘our’. And secondly, you just don’t want me to sit on the green couch, do you,” Jack chirps.

“That has only a little to do with it. Besides, we’re studying food,” Bitty adds. “It makes sense to be in the kitchen.”

“Sure,” Jack says sarcastically, but he follows along behind Bitty anyway and sets himself at the table without fuss. “Did you do the extra reading?”

Bitty shakes his head, not feeling bad about admitting that anymore. He just doesn’t learn the same as Jack.

“I did,” Jack says, not surprising Bitty as all. “I’ll go over it with you.”

Bitty pulls out two glasses and a pitcher of lemonade that he made earlier for the two of them—though he didn’t know at the time there would just be the two of—to share.

“Cool. I did find a video on the same topic though. Haven’t watched it yet. Do you want to give it a go?”

“Uh, sure,” Jack says a little hesitantly.

“We don’t have to,” Bitty says. “I just learn better that way, I think.”

“Alright then. You want me to get my laptop?” Jack asks, already standing up.

Bitty smiles gratefully at him. “That’d be great. I haven’t charged mine in a while.”

“I’ll go grab it.”

Jack leaves to go to his room, and Bitty sets himself up at the seat beside Jack’s. He pours them both a lemonade, then opens the group chat they have for the class on his phone. Everyone is suspiciously silent. The only person who said anything about not coming today being Chowder.It’s not so bad though. Jack is a great study partner. Very calm, and patient with explaining things to Bitty. Bitty thinks it would get a bit too hectic if the others _did_ all turn up one week. Even just adding Shitty into the equation, let alone Holster. Bitty isn’t sure how much they’d get through.

“Got the laptop,” Jack announces, sitting down beside Bitty and logging in quickly. “YouTube?”

“Yep.” Bitty nods and slides Jack’s glass over to him. Jack reaches for it before Bitty has taken his hand away, and his fingers get trapped under Jack’s.

“Sorry,” Jack apologises, loosening his fingers.

Bitty shakes his head, and pulls his hand into his lap. “All good.”

Jack takes a sip of them lemonade, and makes a soft humming noise. “Is this different to your last one?”

“Just the ratios,” Bitty shrugs, biting his lip. “Oh! And I added some lime. I wasn’t so sure it’d work out,” he admits.

“It has,” Jack reassures him, taking another large gulp from his glass. Bitty watches him swallow, and notices how his fingers wrap all the way around the slim glass. Bitty wonders if—

He clears his throat and looks away.

“I’ll send the link to your email,” Bitty says to give himself an excuse to fiddle with his phone for a few moments and try cool his cheeks some.

The video turns out to be not so great. It’s obviously someone’s high school assessment, and the only saving grace it has is a good soundtrack, and the inclusion of several memes, which have Bitty in stitches laughing as Jack keeps looking more and more confused each time a new one comes up. Bitty pauses the video frequently, and him and Jack delve into the dark underground of the internet as Bitty tries to educate him in old memes.

It’s almost an hour later that someone comes into the Haus, interrupting them from a twenty-minute-long video covering memes from 2013.

“Uh...” Nursey says, standing in the doorway. “You guys need some space?”

“Just teaching Jack about memes.”

“Have you guys done any study?”

“Oh, I,” Bitty looks down at their textbooks, then to Jack. “I guess we haven’t. I’m sorry, Jack.”

Jack shrugs. “It’s alright. It’s been fun.”

Bitty smiles, relieved. “Well good. Maybe next week we can start in on other aspects of pop-culture.”

Jack laughs. “Sounds good, Bittle. Will there be a test afterwards?”

“There might,” Bitty teases.

Nursey clears his throat in the doorway, and Bitty startles. He’d forgotten Nursey was still there.

-

_matchmakers inc. group chat_

**Nursey** : Walked in on Jack and Bitty in the kitchen...

 **Holster** : IT FINALLY HAPPENED

 **Lardo:** Kitchen. Such a trust.

 **Nursey:** Haha no guys, chill. Nothing was happening.

 **Holster:** Rude :(

 **Nursey:** But they defs weren’t studying, so it’s getting closer.

 **Shitty:** Thank fuck. Thought I was out of the running for the pool money!

 **Holster:** Bro, don’t diminish their love to your bet

 **Lardo:** You started the betting pool, Holster

 **Holster** : ...

 **Nursey:** I’m listening in. There’s a lot of laughing.

 **Shitty:** From who?

 **Nursey:** both

-

Bitty makes Jack a mixtape. “We don’t have to listen to it today though. I mean, it’s like an hour and a half long. I kept just adding songs to it.”

“I don’t mind,” Jack says kindly. “I didn’t actually do the readings this week anyway, so I’m not sure--”

“Jack Laurent Zimmermann!” Bitty puts his hands on his hips, and towers over Jack as much as he can while Jack is sitting and he’s not. “You didn’t do the readings?”

Jack rubs at his chin. “Er... no?”

“Shame on you.” Bitty only holds the pose another second before dropping it. “Well, let me tell you, that makes me feel a whole lot better about the amount of study I got done this week.”

“I’m not surprised. It’s only Thursday and you’ve made nine pies already.”

Bitty flushes. “Been keeping watch, have you?” Jack clears his throat as he looks away from Bitty, focussing on his laptop. It doesn't look like he’s doing anything important. Just opening tab after tab on his browser.

“I might have.” Jack says quietly, and Bitty feels it as a heavier statement than he was expecting from their previous chirping.

He bites his lip and tries not to read too much into it. Jack’s just doing his protective team captain thing, and maybe worrying about the funds left in the fine jar, which was officially converted from beer funds to pie-funds the other week.

Bitty sits himself down, and takes a deep breath. “Okay. First up, Beyoncé.”

He clicks on the playlist and pops his phone into a mug to help amplify the sound. Jack winces at the opening chords to _Love on Top_ and Bitty slaps him on the shoulder.

“Jack! Don’t disrespect.”

“No, no,” Jack rushes to say. “It’s just... the sound quality is crap.”

“Well, I don’t have speakers, so unless you want to share my earphones...” Bitty would actually be happy to, but he doesn’t think Jack would be.

“I’ve got speakers in my room?” Jack suggests. “I’m sure we could figure out a way to hook up your phone to them.”

“That sounds great, actually.”

Jack heads out first, and leaves behind all of his study things. Bitty takes note and leaves his there too, but he does bring up the plate of friands he’d baked on yesterday.

The speakers should be easy to navigate, but Jack has a tangle of wires coming out the back of them that he doesn’t seem to understand.

“I got Shitty to set this up when we first moved in,” Jack says, trying to follow a blue coloured wire to find it’s end. “He said he knew what he was doing, but now I’m thinking he was just as lost as I was.”

Bitty eyes the wires. It honestly looks like a health hazard. Jack’s going to trip over them, or electrocute himself someday.

“One I keep plugged into my radio,” Jack mumbles, concentrating more on untangling the blue wire, “and I keep one out on my desk for my laptop. Apart from that... I don’t know. Do you know anything about this stuff?”

“Some,” Bitty answers, thinking to his vlogging, and the dated stereo system in his house back in Madison.

“Help me?” Jack asks pitifully, holding up the tangle of wires he’s managed to make worse.

Bitty’s on the floor quickly, pulling the mess out of Jack’s hands to have a better look. Jack leans his face in close to Bitty’s so they can both see. If Bitty turns his head a little to the side, he could easily kiss Jack on the cheek. He wants to. For a moment, the desire is so forceful and all-consuming that Bitty almost drops the wires.

“Looks like there are five different ones,” Jack points out.

Bitty shakes his head, nearly headbutting Jack in the process, and counts out the five.

“Guess we’ve got to just try them all.”

It feels like one of those class bonding games you do early in semester. Getting uncomfortably close to strangers and telling them random facts about yourself. Though in this instance, Bitty doesn’t feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, considering it as he passes a wire through the small hole Jack created in the mess, Bitty thinks he’s maybe too comfortable, in the sense that he’d happily tell Jack just about anything. Even now, he’s included songs on the mixtape that he’d have trouble admitting he liked to, say, Dex or Shitty. But with Jack, he just has an overwhelming desire to share himself to someone he doesn’t think will judge him negatively. It’s as good a sign as any that Bitty likes him.

Bitty takes longer to untangle the wires than he probably needs, but he’s enjoying being close to Jack, and it’s not like it’s harmful to extend that. He can tell immediately which one connects to his phone, but there’s still the problem of which setting it should be on the stereo itself.

“Is there an aux option?” Bitty asks, holding his phone to make sure the music is playing, while Jack stands by the stereo and fiddles with buttons and dials.

“Uh,” Jack looks them over. “No. Can’t see one.”

“Okay, well just pick a random one and we’ll see.”

The first one Jack hits turns out to be the right one, and Beyoncé starts blaring obnoxiously loud from the speaker Bitty is standing right beside. He won’t drop his phone, and he can’t move any further away because the cord won’t allow it. He hunches up to try and protect his eardrums some but that does nothing.

Jack takes a big step in towards him and puts his own hands over Bitty’s ears. The music is still going at full blast, Jack jolting slightly every time a cymbal crashes in the song.

“Turn the music down!” Bitty tries telling Jack.

“What?” Jack mouths. Or he probably says it, but Bitty can’t hear anything.

Bitty grabs on to Jack’s shirt and pulls him down. “Turn the music down,” he says into Jack’s ear.

Jack nods and steps back quickly, turning the dial around until the music is barely there.

Bitty drops his shoulders and sighs out. “Thanks. That’s better.”

“Yeah. Don’t know why it did that.” Jack frowns at his speakers. “I don’t normally have it that loud.”

“Mm-hm. I think I’d know if you did.” Bitty rubs at his sore ears and puts his phone on top of Jack’s speaker, moving to sit on the bed once he’s done so. Jack joins him.

“So, this is Taylor Swift?” he asks innocently.

Bitty punches him on the arm.

-

They study in Jack’s room now, with Bitty’s phone plugged into the speaker and some variation of an ‘ambient music’ or ‘study time’ playlist from Spotify on in the background. Though to use the word study may be stretching the definition. Bitty _has_ talked Jack through the steps on a few recipes, but none of them were from the syllabus.

Then Jack gets a cold and misses a few classes, and they put off the study sessions because Jack doesn’t want to infect anyone with his germs. Bitty keeps him company anyway, with soup and tea and some sit-coms on Netflix. Jack falls asleep with his head leaning on Bitty’s shoulder, exhaling warm air onto his skin. It’s one of the increasingly frequent moments that Bitty looks at Jack, sighs internally, and thinks, “shit, I really, really like you.”

-

 **Lardo** : Sorry dudes. Group project got moved. Can’t make tonight.

-

“If I didn’t know any better,” Bitty says to Jack around a mouthful of custard tart one day, “I’d say the others are missing these study groups on purpose.”

Jack looks to Bitty and frowns. He has a glob of custard on the left side of his mouth. “Why would they do that?”

“Hang on, come here.” Jack leans in toward Bitty, and Bitty wipes the custard off with his thumb. He draws his finger away from Jack’s face then looks around for something in Jack’s room to wipe it on. Something hot and wet attacks his thumb though, and when he looks back, Jack is sucking the custard off.

Bitty feels his eyes widen, and his jaw drop. He heats up from his fingers right to the top of his head.

“Wasn’t going to waste any of your cooking,” Jack says, pulling back and licking his lips.

Bitty wonders how ridiculous it would be to never wash his thumb again.

-

 **Holster** : Totally forgot. Library is doing back-to-back of Julie Andrew’s musicals and I got tickets ages ago. Won’t be there. See you on the other side!

-

“So then it’s 1 cup of salt.” Jack reaches for the container, notwaiting for a response.

Bitty darts out of his seat at the kitchen table to intercept.

“No!” Bitty shouts, trying to avert a cooking disaster.

Jack looks down to where Bitty has wrapped his arms around the container, Jack’s hand trapped.

Bitty lets go. “I mean,” he clears his throat, “do not put that much salt in or you will ruin this entire cake.”

Jack huffs. “That wasn’t really less dramatic, you know.”

“Maybe I was going for drama?” Bitty defends himself half-heartedly.

“I know it’s just a pinch of salt,” Jack says, teasingly, like he can’t believe Bitty fell for the prank. “Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.”

“I was paying attention.”

“To your phone, yeah. Not to me,” Jack says with a funny look toward Bitty.

“Jack, believe me,” Bitty looks imploringly at Jack. “I was paying attention to you.”

If only Jack knew how much, maybe he wouldn’t be testing Bitty’s limits on it. This whole study session has been a moot point from the moment walked in the door and got an eye-full of Jack in a fitted black long-sleeve top and freshly washed hair, and, of all things, listening to the mixtape Bitty made for him a few weeks back. Jack had been fairly embarrassed that Bitty caught him doing that, and his cheeks had blushed with a red Bitty’s never seen on him off the ice. Bitty’s heart did a little flutter, and his stomach flopped over as well, and that was it for his care about his school work for that afternoon. It was far more interesting sitting in the kitchen and watching Jack work his way through an extra-credit recipe assignment.

“Why aren’t you doing the extra-credit recipes?” Jack asks after his cake is in the oven, and he’s started on the dishes. “I just realised you probably should have been.”

“Oh, I already maxed out on them.”

Jack turns to him with a dish in his hand, dripping sudsy water onto the floor. “What do you mean?”

“They stopped counting after you did four.” Bitty quits out of twitter and stands up to clean up Jack’s mess. “I hit that in week two.”

“Week two,” Jack repeats with awe. “Wow. Maybe we should have made all these group study sessions into group _baking_ sessions. The others might’ve turned up to those.”

Bitty laughs. “I doubt it.”

“I don’t know. It’s food, and you’d be here.”

“Oh, it’s not about that.” Bitty throws the dirty cloth into the sink with Jack’s washing up liquid, then leans in to wash his hands. “You know when I was late last week?” Jack nods. “Well, I walked past the oval on my way here, and Holster, Shitty and Lardo were all there, just lying on the grass.”

Jack’s eyebrows draw down. “Shitty said he was at an optional seminar for his class.”

“Uh-huh. And Holster was meant to be running through a presentation with Ransom, yet...”

Bitty starts drying Jack’s dishes, even though he normally shies away from cleaning duty. Jack’s leaning into him, caught up in the story, and they’ve dropped to whispered conversation. It just makes sense to stay close.

“Yet they didn’t come to study group. Why?”

Bitty shrugs. “Haven’t figured it out yet. I tried to ask Chowder, but he ran away. Almost literally actually.”

“Well, whatever the purpose is, it doesn’t matter much now. Final test is on Monday, then we won’t be doing these anymore.”

Bitty almost drops the whisk he’s drying. “Monday? Next Monday?”

“Yeah,” Jack confirms. “Did you not realise?”

Bitty shakes his head slowly. “I thought it was the Monday after. Goddamn.”

Jack dries his hands on his own shirt before putting a hand on Bitty’s shoulder.

“Hey,” Jack says softly. “You’ll be fine.”

“I... I thought I had an entire week left to study.”

“You’ve still got the weekend.”

“I’m behind on _three weeks_ of readings.”

“I’ll catch you up,” Jack offers easily, hand squeezing Bitty’s shoulder. Bitty focuses on that, and not the clenching of his gut.

-

 **Nursey** : Was this today?

 **Nursey** : Oops.

-

“And that’s the last of the readings. You with me?” Jack asks a very dazed Bitty. Hour four of their Sunday study session. Yesterday’s had lasted about six, and continued over a coffee at Annie’s and Bitty stress-baking two pies.

“I think so,” Bitty replies in a passingly steady voice even though his brain has been low key anxious since two days ago in the kitchen.

“Good.” Jack stands up and stretches, holding his arms up above his head and then pulling them straight behind his back, pushing his chest out. He’s in the black shirt again. It’s stretched tight against his muscles. Bitty’s body still registers it even in the mildly panicked state, and he feels himself heating up.

“All that’s left is actually taking the test,” Jack says with a comforting smile.

Bitty is touched by the enthusiasm of Jack’s belief, however misplaced. True, he feels better prepared than two days ago, but he’s still not exactly confident on it.

Bitty finally pushes himself off Jack’s desk chair, and stretches out his own back, hearing the cracks and wincing. He pulls his new pile of notes towards him—better late than never—and takes his phone from where it’s been plugged into Jack’s charger.

“Jack?”

“Yeah,” Jack replies, dropping his arms from where he’d been stretching them across his torso.

“I just wanted to say that I... I’ve really appreciated all your help with this class. Not just this weekend. All of it.”

Jack smiles. “Same.”

-

_matchmakers inc. group chat_

**Shitty** : Have we failed on our quest?

 **Holster** : :(

 **Lardo** : Not a quest.

 **Holster** : Mission

 **Holster** : Endeavour

 **Holster** : Pursuit

 **Chowder** : …meddling?

 **Lardo** : I guess we’ll see tomorrow at the test…

-

Bitty taps quietly on Jack’s door. There’s shuffling inside, the sounds of bed springs, and then Jack’s opening the door. He’s wearing sweatpants, and that’s it.

“Bittle,” he croaks. “What is it?”

Bitty blinks at Jack’s abdominal muscles. There are sheet marks pressed into his skin.

“Sorry.”

“S’alright,” Jack whispers through a yawn. “Come in.”

Bitty follows Jack in and sits on the desk chair when Jack pushes it towards him.

Jack sits up in his bed, and looks to Bitty.  “We’ve got a test tomorrow. You should be sleeping.”

Bitty nods. “That’s why I’m here.”

Jack tilts his head.

“I’m... worried,” Bitty admits. “I’ve never been this nervous about a test before.”

Jack hums and nods his head slowly. “Why’re you nervous?”

“Uh...” Bitty spaces, thinking about the last study session he’d had with Jack.

Jack shivers, and crosses his arms over his chest.

“I know we had yesterday, and Saturday, and we’ve been doing these study sessions all term, but… we haven’t actually been, well, _studying_ , you know?” Jack frowns. “And you know I’m not that great at doing it on my own, and I was just having—It was nice just hanging out with you, and talking about all that other stuff. But even with your new notes, when I was looking over the outcomes earlier, I just...” Bitty throws his hands up in frustration, trying to demonstrate without words how he’s feeling.

Jack yawns again, and shivers a little violently. Bitty immediately feels horrible about waking him. He shouldn’t have knocked on Jack’s door. It was incredibly rude of him, this late at night after all the help Jack’s been offering him. Jack would have been within his rights to turn Bitty away.

Bitty stands up to leave. “Sorry, Jack,” he says, looking down at his socked feet. “You’re right. I should be sleeping.”

“No, I’m sorry.”

Bitty looks up to Jack, who’s moved himself to the edge of the bed, hands braced either side of him, like he’s ready to stand.

“I woke you up,” Bitty says regretfully.

“I didn’t try and make you study those times. I should have realised you needed that.”

Bitty sighs. Need sounds right, but it’s not what he’d been wanting from Jack, all those hours spent together. “That’s not your fault, Jack.”

“Do you want me to talk to the professor for you?” Jack offers seriously, standing up and walking over to Bitty. “Maybe get you an extension?”

“On what grounds? Laziness? Distraction?” Bitty asks, self-deprecation blunter with how tired he is.

“ _Bitty_ ,” Jack reprimands. His face slips into team captain mode—unnervingly serious, and brutal in focus. It’s different to feel the gaze off the ice. Bitty shudders physically, and he finds he can’t stand holding Jack’s gaze for longer than a few seconds. His eyes drop down, finding the sheet marks on Jack’s chest again.

Jack sighs out above him and his hands come up to rub at his face.

“Shit. That came out too harsh,” Jack mumbles from beneath his hands. Bitty isn’t sure whether he’s meant to reply, so he doesn’t.

Jack drops his hands, but not down by his sides. He lands them, gently, on Bitty’s shoulders. Jack’s expression is now softer, more like what Bitty has gotten used to as they teased back and forth at the kitchen table, sharing whatever Bitty baked for the group study that has never actually been a group. Always a duo. Bitty likes Jack’s face that way. Bitty likes their duo.

“Those things aren’t who you are, Bitty,” Jack says strongly, tightening his grip on Bitty’s shoulders.

Bitty nods, not quite believing Jack all the way, but not able to deny how much Jack thinks it’s true.

“I’ll be fine.” Bitty tries to smile confidentially. He isn’t feeling as nervous as he was before coming in here, but he knows that come tomorrow—no, it’s after midnight—come later today he’ll feel anxious again and won’t be able to seek Jack out mid exam for comfort.

“Yeah, you will,” Jack agrees with him easily. “You know food inside out.”

“Yeah, guess so. Besides,” Bitty adds, “‘Cs get degrees’ and all that.”

Jack narrows his eyes slightly, like he wants to say something, but he lets it go, expression smoothing out, and uses his grip on Bitty’s shoulders to bring him into a hug. Bitty goes easily, bringing his arms up to fold across Jack’s back without having to think about it. Jack still feels warm despite having been out of bed for several minutes now. Bitty drops his cheek to rest on Jack’s bare shoulder, and when he breathes in, he can smell the soap Jack must have used earlier in his shower.

-

_matchmakers inc. group chat_

**Holster** : Bitty defs just left Jack’s room...

 **Nursey** : Why are you still up? The test is tomorrow?

 **Shitty** : How the fuck did I miss that?

 **Shitty** : You sure Hols?

 **Lardo** : ^^ Coz you could sleep through the apocalypse dude

 **Holster** : Very sure. I came down to pee and saw him.

 **Lardo** : You brought your phone with you?

 **Holster** : I was using the flashlight! Don’t judge!

 **Nursey** : Did it look like something had happened?

 **Holster** : I’m not wearing my glasses. Couldn’t really tell.

 **Shitty** : NOOO

 **Lardo** : Bro, missed opportunity

 **Holster** : I didn’t think I’d need them to use the toilet!

 **Nursey** : TMI

 **Nursey** : What about body language though

 **Holster** : Um...

 **Holster** : Draggy? Like he was tired. But also I think he was touching his cheek. Like holding it.

 **Lardo** : Wow

 **Shitty** : Do you think it got kissed?!?!?

 **Holster** : Maybe

 **Nursey** : Just see how they are tomorrow at the test

 **Shitty** : Too long to fucking wait.

 **Lardo** : Do not go next door to ask Jack

 **Shitty** : I’m gonna go ask Jack

 **Shitty** : Oh. Fine, Lards, Voice of Reason in the AM.

-

At the breakfast table that morning, Bitty sits across from Jack and reads over some of the notes from their earlier study sessions—the ones they actually studied at. Beside him, Shitty mumbles under his breath, and Holster is standing by the pot of tea he made himself, refilling his mug time and time again.

They walk over to the exam hall together, meeting Lardo, Nursey and Chowder outside. Nursey looks like he hasn’t slept, and Chowder is holding two take-aways coffee which both seem to be his.

Jack pulls Bitty aside before they go into the exam room. Bitty can see Shitty eying them over Lardo’s head, but he ignores him in favour of looking at Jack.

“Sleep well after you left?” He has his hand on Bitty’s shoulder again. It’s grounding, helping calm Bitty’s thoughts that are racing through the last-minute info he crammed in that morning.

Bitty nods.

“Good,” Jack says. Bitty almost thinks there was the shadow of a wink on Jack’s face before he turned to re-join the others hanging around the door.

-

_matchmakers inc. group chat_

**Nursey** : Definite closeness, but not sure I get a “we kissed” vibe :/

 **Chowder** : How did you send this DURING the exam?

 **Lardo** : Yeah, me neither, Nurse

 **Holster** : But they wanna

 **Shitty** : Fo shizzle

 **Nursey** : No

 **Chowder** : Nooo

 **Lardo** : Shits, no

-

Bitty gets the email from Professor Maio and clicks on it straight away before he can chicken out like he knows he will if he gives himself time to think. He speed-reads the email, glossing over the general end of class statement, and finds the bottom section outlining his marks.

He passed. He passed!

He’s up out of his chair and bounding over to Jack’s room before he can second guess that either. He knocks and opens the door at the same time.

Jack’s sitting at his desk, and Bitty can see his email up as well. He spins around and takes in Bitty standing with a giddy smile in his doorway.

“You passed?” Jack asks, standing up.

Bitty makes a kind of squeal noise before throwing himself at Jack and wrapping his arms around him.

“I passed. With distinction. My lord, I was so worried,” Bitty gushes, rambling and quick with the adrenaline pounding through him. “It was such a hard class, and all of our study session have been more flirting than study, and I’m not that great at short answer formats normally, and—”

Bitty pulls back, keeping hands on Jack’s arms. Jack’s gone stiff.

“Jack?” Bitty asks, hesitantly.

Jack looks down at Bitty, his face strangely blank.

“You alright?” Bitty asks again, then is hit with a sudden, heart sinking worry. “Did you not pass?”

“I passed,” Jack replies immediately. “I just hadn’t realised we were...We’ve been...”

Bitty frowns, worried. Jack’s eyes move obviously to his lips, and Bitty licks them self-consciously.

“We’ve been what?”

Jack kisses Bitty.

No lead up, no words, no change of expression. Jack leans down toward Bitty and presses their lips together, lightly, but confidently.

“Been that,” Jack whispers, pulling back.

Bitty’s hands clench around Jack’s biceps before he drops them limply to his side.

“Why’d you do that?” Bitty asks, feeling light-headed because Jack kissed him, and that’s only meant to happen in Bitty’s dreams.

“Because,” Jack frowns a little and cocks his head. “Because we’ve been flirting more than studying. You said it.”

Bitty steps back from Jack, worried at the phrasing. Bitty’s insides twist up, and he frowns.

“You didn’t have to... You shouldn’t’ve kissed me just because of what I _thought_ was going on, Jack.”

Jack tilts his head. “Uh, no, I—”

“I don’t want you to if you don’t mean it,” Bitty says lowly, feeling Jack’s unexpected pity like a stone in his gut.

“But... I do?” Jack looks at Bitty, head still tilted.

Bitty crosses his arms. “Mean what?”

“The, the kiss.”

Bitty sucks in a breath. “Really?” he whispers, taking a half-step back toward Jack.

Jack nods and closes the distance with another step. Bitty tilts his head up to meet Jack’s gaze.

“I feel…” Jack presses his hands to his stomach. “I don’t think I... But you’re right, we have been. Both of us.”

Jack spins on his heel and paces away from Bitty, muttering with total surprise, “Shit, how long have I liked you?”

Bitty doesn’t think he could answer that, nor is he meant to. He drops his arms and tries to take stock of how he’s feeling. These past few minutes have been a whirlwind. Relief from passing the test, nervous and giddy when Jack kissed him, and confused soon after. Then worried Jack didn’t mean it, and now... He feels like kissing Jack again.

He walks over to Jack, and puts his hand against his back, feeling the shifting muscles as Jack turns to him. He blinks up at Jack, looks at his lips, chapstick shiny. He leans up on his tiptoes and thankfully Jack leans down to meet him.

They kiss and it’s nicer now that Bitty is expecting it.

When he pulls away, Bitty touches Jack’s lips with his fingers, admitting, “I’ve liked you since before these study groups.”

Jack’s eyebrows raise. “I had no idea.”

Bitty hums, dragging his fingers along Jack’s jaw before dropping them. “I tried to hide it.”

“Why?” Jack asks with a note of desperation to it.

Bitty shrugs, lifts his hands up with an urge to touch Jack, but drops them again, because he and Jack are adrift now, jumping from friendship to something different.

“Didn’t know if you wanted me back,” Bitty tells Jack.

“I don’t—” Jack cuts himself off, shutting his mouth abruptly. He lifts a hand and echoes Bitty’s movement earlier; hands on Bitty’s lips, then jaw.

“I don’t think I knew myself,” Jack says considering before bringing his other hand up to Bitty’s face as well. He looks Bitty in the eye, gaze darting back and forth over his features. Bitty just tries to keep breathing, but it’s hard with Jack taking up all this space in front of him, and in his head.

“Bitty,” Jack says, revelatory. “You’re beautiful.”

Bitty would duck his head if he could, but Jack’s still holding it, and more than that, tilting it upwards gently so that when he leans down, their lips line up perfectly. Bitty keeps his eyes open, and Jack does too. Jack looks like he’s searching for something. Bitty isn’t sure what it is, but he hopes he can give some answer. He lifts his hands to Jack’s waist, and opens his mouth a little to press his tongue gently to Jack’s lips. Jack hums, closes his eyes, and echoes the movement. Bitty feels time slow a bit until he’s sure he’s living minutes in a single second.

Jack draws back. A smile blooms across Bitty’s face, and Jack’s too.

“Jack.” It’s all Bitty can think to say.

Jack nods again. “I think I know now.”

Then he kisses Bitty again.

**Author's Note:**

> this story is also posted on [tumblr](http://17piesinseptember.tumblr.com/tagged/mine)


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